What A Night
by WinterGirl19
Summary: FINISHED FINALLY! Catherine's night didn't start well, and it wasn't getting any better. Until he showed up. My first story. Please Read and Review! T rating is just for safety. By the way, I don't own any of these wonderful characters or anything.
1. Chapter 1

She carefully buckles her young daughter into the backseat of the SUV. Taking extra care in making sure the seat belt is in the correct position; not too high, not too low.

Once she's certain her daughter is safely secured, she shuts the back door and slides into the driver's seat. She adjusts the seat to the proper distance from the pedals, swivels the rear-view mirror to the right place, and then buckles her own seat belt across her lap. Turing on the ignition, she locks the doors before turning around and placing one hand on the headrest beside her. She watches a car whiz by, then puts the car in gear and slowly backs the large vehicle into the street.

Putting the car in drive she makes her way out of the neighborhood and towards the freeway. She sighs deeply and massages her temple with one hand. Having dinner with your parents shouldn't be this stressful. But when your parents had never really been married, and you had only just recently found out that they were together again…well, that tends to complicate things.

"Mommy, where are we going?" comes the innocent voice from the backseat. Catherine lifts her head to look at her daughter in the rear-view mirror.

"We're having dinner with your grandma and grandpa, remember Linds? I told you that earlier," Catherine replied sharply, turning her eyes back to the road. She was slightly annoyed that her daughter already didn't listen to her. The eight-year-old was not happy with that statement. Much like Eddie in that respect, she did not like being told that she had done something wrong. Lindsey crossed her arms over head chest, and turned to glare out the window.

Catherine glanced at her watch. _7:30?_ She thought to herself, _how did it get to be that late already?_ She was supposed to meet her parents at the restaurant at seven. Glancing briefly at the seat beside her, she spotted her purse. Flicking her eyes back to the road, she reached one hand across to the passenger seat, fishing around inside her purse, blindly searching for her elusive cell phone. Finally she felt the cool plastic at her fingertips. Grasping it firmly she pulled it out and flipped it open with one hand. Without taking her eyes off the road, she found speed dial six and pressed it. She held the phone up to her ear. It rang; once, twice, three times before he picked up.

"_Hello?" _came the raspy voice.

"Sam, thank goodness," she checked quickly over her shoulder and changed lanes, "we got a little tied up at the house," Lindsey had been difficult about her dinner outfit, as always. Catherine had thought it was cute, Lindsey, apparently, had thought otherwise. As Catherine had found, when the dress came flying into the hallway with a disgusted scream. "I'm on the freeway now," she hoped he wouldn't be too upset. She heard him exhale softly on the other end of the line.

"_Just glad to know you're okay Muggs," _he said, sounding relieved.

"Oh, yeah, we're uh, we're fine. Sorry about this Sam, I just-" he cut her off.

"_It's alright Muggs. Just get here safely, we can wait."_ Catherine was a little shocked at this, she'd never heard Sam be so…understanding.

"Okay, well, we should be there in about fifteen minutes," she estimated, looking at her watch. _7:34._

"_See you in a few," _Sam replied, then hung up. Catherine shut her cell phone and tossed it back into her purse. Catherine was struggling a bit to comprehend the tone of Sam's voice. So calm, and...caring. It's not that she thought he didn't care about her, it's just...well, most of the time he had a funny way of showing it.

Catherine was pulled from her thoughts as a small sports car cut her off. Looking around, she realized she had missed her exit.

"Damn it!" she swore, changing lanes quickly to make the next available exit. She heard giggles from the backseat.

"Mommy! You said a bad word!" Lindsey said, followed by more giggles.

"Not now Lindsey," Catherine replied sharply. She signaled, and turned the car to the off-ramp. She craned her neck to see the sign for the exit as it went overhead. Her heart sank, as she realized she had taken an exit that would take her to one of the worst parts of town.

"Shit," she swore again. More giggles could be heard from the backseat.


	2. Chapter 2

As soon as Catherine got off the freeway, she came to a red light. She stopped the SUV at the intersection, and laid her head on the steering wheel. She took in a deep, supposedly calming, breath and let it out as slowly as she could. She lifted her head from the wheel, the light was now green. She checked the intersection for cars before slowly pulling out.

"Mommy, where _are _we?" Lindsey asked in a slightly shaky voice. Catherine sighed.

"I'm not exactly sure honey," she looked at her daughter in the rear-view mirror. Seeing the frightened look on Lindsey's face she continued, "but don't worry, we're just going to turn around and head right back to the freeway." She gave what she thought was a reassuring smile. The one she used on victims' family members. Lindsey, unlike most distraught family members, did not look reassured.

Catherine focused on the road, searching for the best lit, and hopefully safest, place to pull over and turn around. After driving for several minutes, she spotted a small convenience store and gas station. It had three overhead spotlights and the lights inside the store were very bright as well. She signaled and pulled quickly into the parking lot. She checked to make sure the doors were locked before she stopped the car. Putting the SUV in park, she looked around, trying to get her bearings.

She didn't recognize anything around here. She sighed deeply, and once again laid her head on the steering wheel.

"Mommy," Lindsey's voice came suddenly from almost directly behind Catherine's head, "Mommy, are you okay?" Catherine lifted her head to look at her young daughter. As difficult as Lindsey sometimes was, she was always quick to make sure Catherine was alright. Catherine smiled a sad smile.

"Yes, Linds. I'm alright. Mommy's just having a rough night, that's all." Lindsey patted Catherine's hair and smiled sweetly at her.

"It's okay Mommy, everything will be okay," she said wisely before hugging Catherine around the neck. She then pulled away and sat back in her seat, still smiling at her mother. Catherine smiled back, a genuine, happy smile. If not for Lindsey, Catherine would be yet another lost soul, searching for something she would never find in Sin City. Something few people really ever found. Love.

"Mommy," Lindsey spoke again, pulling Catherine once more from her thoughts. "Mommy, there's a man coming." Lindsey's voice shook, and she cowered in the backseat. Catherine's heart beat increased ten-fold at the thought of someone approaching them in this neighborhood. She instinctively reached to her hip, searching for the holster she knew wasn't there. As the man drew closer, Catherine's heart raced out of control. She couldn't go anywhere! If she went forward, she would run the man over, and if she went back she would smash into a gas pump.

_Maybe he'll just pass by. Maybe he works here. _Catherine's thoughts rocketed around inside her head. He was only a few yards away now. Suddenly his shape seemed familiar to Catherine. As Catherine thought this, the man passed under one of the overhead spotlights. Catherine's mouth dropped open as she recognized the man.

He was less than five feet from the front of the car, and Catherine breathed a gigantic sigh of relief, as he approached the passenger's side window. Catherine rolled it down to speak with him.

"Nick? What on earth are you doing out here?" she spoke softly leaning across the center consol to talk to him. She was greeted with one of his famous grins.

"Hey Cath. I could ask you the same thing." He leaned further into the car, and gave a small nod to Lindsey, who was still cowering in the backseat. "Hey there Linds," he drawled. Lindsey's face lit up at the sound of Nick's voice.

"Uncle Nicky!" she squealed, lurching forward in her seat. She scrambled into the passenger's seat and gave him a big hug through the window. He chuckled and hugged her back. Lindsey had taken to calling all the CSI's various family member names. Aunt Sara, Uncle Gil, etc. Catherine laughed at Lindsey's outburst too.

"Lindsey, let the man breathe, will you?" Catherine scolded gently. Lindsey finally released Nick, giving him a huge smile and clamoring back into her seat. He grinned back at her before turning to Catherine again.

"So, I know what my excuse is, why are you out here?" he asked, still grinning at her. "You do know this is about _the worst_ place to pull over, right?" Catherine covered her face with her hands. Slowly sliding them down her face, she shook her head.

"I know, I know. I missed the exit I was supposed to take and…well, I­­­-" she was embarrassed to say she was lost in a city she had lived in for most of her life. So instead of explaining, she just shrugged and gave him a sheepish grin.

"Lost then are ya?" he chuckled at her predicament, and at her obvious embarrassment. "Where were y'all going?" he eyed Catherine and Lindsey's outfits. Catherine in a sleek black dress, Lindsey in a cute peach one.

"Well, we were supposed to be going to dinner with my parents," she glanced at her watch, "at seven." She shook her head. Nick glanced at his own watch, and let out a low whistle.

"Doesn't look like that's gonna happen," he looked up at Catherine, "it's almost 8:30." Catherine chuckled sarcastically at her plight.

"Great, just perfect. Sam is probably going to think we've died or something." She folded her arms across the top of the steering wheel and brought her head down to rest on them. "Just perfect," she mumbled to the wheel. Nick laughed openly this time.

Reaching inside the vehicle he unlocked the door. Pulling the handle he swung the door open and slid inside, closing the door behind him. He put a hand on Catherine's shoulder.

"It's alright Cath. I'm sure Sam will understand. You had a rough day at work, and by the looks of it, it didn't get any better from there." He moved his hand to her back and rubbed in a small circle, trying to ease some of her tension. She sighed.

"You're right. I know. He will understand, it's just…I don't know, I guess I'm just a little stressed out." Nick chuckled again.

"A little?"

"Okay," she admitted to the steering wheel, "a lot. I'm a lot stressed."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: This is a flashback, just so you are aware. **

"It's not my fault!" the man screamed. "She just…she wouldn't…"

"She wouldn't what, Mr. Jacobs?" Brass asked accusingly, getting right in the man's face.

"She wouldn't stop! She wouldn't leave me alone!" he screamed in Brass's face. "I had to make her stop, she was driving me CRAZY!!" Brass took a step back. Where a look of horror would be on most people's faces, there was simply a blank, emotionless expression. Truthfully, Brass was horrified at what this man had just admitted to. But somehow, he just couldn't muster that look anymore. It had been worn out from overuse.

"You mean to tell me," Catherine began, a look of pure disdain on her face, "that you killed your daughter, because she wanted to _play a game with you_?" Catherine shook her head. "You couldn't just get off your ass for half an hour, to play with your daughter. Instead you killed her so she would _stop bothering you_?!" Catherine was just plain pissed off now. She stood up abruptly, shoving her chair violently away from the metal table. "You smothered her, so she would be quiet and leave you alone?!" Brass looked concerned now.

"Cath-" he started to walk towards her. She put up a hand to stop him. Never taking her eyes off the man. Looking him straight in the eyes, she shook her head, mouth agape in shock.

"You make me sick," she said quietly, but forcefully. "You don't even deserve the death penalty. You should rot in prison for the rest of your life, and live with what you did every single day." With that, she stormed out of the interrogation room. She continued her angry walk and eventually ended up in the reception area, where she paced for several minutes, trying to clam down.

She had seen some horrible cases in her years as a CSI, but this was one of those ones you just never forget. One of those awful ones, where you catch a glimpse of hell on earth. One of those cases that hit _way_ too close to home. That man's daughter was eight years old. Lindsey's age. Truth be told, Lindsey irritated Catherine at times. But that was natural wasn't it? Catherine could not even fathom killing your child because they wanted to you to play with them. The man in that interrogation room was not right. He was disgusting, he wasn't worthy of the 'father' title. Hell, he wasn't worthy of the 'human' title. That man was a monster.

"Cath," Brass called from down the hall a bit. She turned to face him. He still had a concerned look on his face. "Are you alright?" he asked coming up to her. Catherine avoided his gaze for a few moments.

"I'm sorry about that Jim," she said, finally making eye contact. "I just…I can't believe…"

"I know," he said, running a hand over his short hair. "the things people kill over never ceases to shock and disgust me. But killing your own kid, over something that…innocent. Well, that's just…I don't even think there's a good enough word to describe it." Catherine drew in a deep breath and closed her eyes. She was at a loss for words, and suddenly drained of all energy. "How about I give you a ride back to the lab? You look beat." Catherine looked him in the eye again, smiling a tired smile.

"That'd be great, thanks Jim."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Once she got back to the lab, Catherine made a beeline for her locker. Yanking it open, she slipped her most recent picture of Lindsey out from under it's magnet. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Just seeing Lindsey's beautiful little face calmed her down substantially.

She placed the picture back in it's spot, and closed her locker. She leaned forward and rested her forehead on the cool metal. A voice from the doorway startled her out of her reverie.

"Hey Cath?" Warrick called from the doorway, "Griss wants to see you in his office," he gave her a small smile when she turned to look at him.

"Okay, thanks Warrick." He smiled again, and left. She blew a puff of air out between her lips, and straightened herself up. Then headed for Grissom's office.

She knocked softly on the open door. Grissom looked up from what Catherine could safely assume was an entomology book.

"You wanted to see me?" she asked. Grissom removed his glasses and gave her a once over.

"Yes," he said, "come in. Close the door." She stepped inside, carefully closing the door behind her. As Catherine turned back around, she noticed Grissom's eyes were still on her. This was something all of the nightshift was familiar with. It was Grissom's nature as an entomologist. And a CSI. He studies people. Like they're bugs under the microscope. Not taking his eyes off you until he's sure he's taken in and mentally noted anything and everything important about you. "Brass tells me you had a bit of difficulty with a case today." Catherine shook her head.

"No, it wasn't the case I had trouble with." Grissom's brow furrowed, but before he could say anything, Catherine continued. "The suspect, the murderer, I should say, is what I had trouble with." Grissom placed his glasses on his desk and leaned forward in his chair.

"It was a tough case. Especially for you, with Lindsey and all." Grissom seemed to ignore Catherine's comment. "I want you to take the rest of the day off." Catherine's mouth dropped open.

"What? Grissom, no. I'm fine-"

"No arguments, Catherine. Go home, see your daughter. You were working a double shift anyway." He glanced at his watch, "if you hurry, you might be able to catch her at school." He looked up at her and did something Grissom rarely did, he smiled at her. "Go on."

Catherine slowly got up from the chair as Grissom picked his glasses up and went back to his reading. When she got to the door, she pulled it open, but stopped before she went out.

"Grissom," she said turning back around. He removed his glasses and looked up. "Thanks." He gave her a small smile and a short nod, then turned back to his reading. She lingered a moment longer, then slipped out of the office, and out of the building, not even bothering to go back to her locker. She just hightailed it out to her car and sped all the way to her daughter's school.


	4. Chapter 4

As Catherine recalled the day's events, she was once again overcome with fatigue. Nick's gentle massage was very relaxing, and she had a sudden urge to just crawl into his lap and let him hold her.

This line of thinking snapped Catherine out of her relaxation. This was Nick. Nick Stokes, the CSI she worked with everyday. The one that was always there to comfort her and give her a hug when she needed it. The one she had always felt something a little deeper for. Something stronger than "just friends". Something she had never admitted to herself until just now. A very strong attraction.

She lifted her head off the steering wheel suddenly.

"Oh jeez!" She exclaimed. Nick's hands jerked away from her. Her body was upset to feel them go.

"What? What is it?" Nick was genuinely worried. Catherine looked at him for several moments, lost in his deep brown eyes. Eyes that were laced with concern. Concern for her. She forgot for a moment what she had been doing.

She shook her head and came back to Earth; she needed to cover for her outburst. Nick's eyes never left her face. Suddenly she remembered Sam, and her mother, undoubtedly fraught with worry over the fact that she and Lindsey had never shown up for dinner. Catherine reached over him to retrieve her purse.

"I, uh, I completely forgot to call Sam," she explained distractedly while digging fiercely through her bag. Nick seemed to relax, he was certain something more serious was wrong.

Finally she found the intangible device and speed dialed Sam. She leaned back in her seat as the phone rang and glanced over at Nick. He was still watching her, looking as though if he looked away she would disappear forever. He smiled gently at their eye contact. She returned the smile and closed her eyes. What was going on here?

"_Muggs? Is that you?_" Sam's voice came over the line and jolted her out of her reverie.

"Sam," she stumbled over the words she needed, "I am so sorry. I missed the exit, and I think I may have taken a wrong turn-"

Catherine closed her eyes and rested her elbow on the steering wheel, putting her head in her hand, pushing her bangs up off her face. Sam cut her off in the middle of her rant.

"_Muggs, Muggs, slow down, it's all right. I'm glad you're okay. Maybe this was just a bad night to have dinner. We'll reschedule, it's no problem." _Catherine straightened up at this. Something clicked in her head.

"Did Grissom call you?" she asked suddenly. There was a long pause on the other end of the line. This was response enough for Catherine. "So you didn't really just want to have dinner with your "family" you just did it because you were _asked_?"

"_Muggs, why does it matter _why _I wanted to have dinner with you? This seemed like as good a reason as any," _Sam responded, anger edging into his voice_. "You could have just said you didn't want to come." _Catherine pulled the phone away from her ear and just stared at it for a minute. "_Muggs? Muggs, you there?" _Sam's voice sounded distant.

"Goodnight Sam," she said into the phone. Sam's protests were silenced as Catherine snapped the phone shut.

Nick reached for the door handle, moving to get out of the car. Catherine's hand shot out of its own accord and grasped his arm. Nick's head turned sharply back to Catherine.

"Please don't go," she said, begging him with her eyes. He watched her for a moment, and for that moment, when their eyes locked, the world stood still. He let go of the door handle and moved back into his seat.

"Tell you what," Nick said after thinking for a moment, "I'm all finished here; I'll pull my truck around and lead you back to your place. Sound okay?"

She realized how ridiculous she was being. He was busy. "You're working," Catherine said, a little more sullenly than she meant to. "You need to get back to the lab don't you? I wouldn't want-"

Nick cut her off with a wave of his hand. "I was supposed to be off an hour ago, Grissom sent me out on this store robbery," he gestured to the brightly lit building, "turns out to be the clerk's stupid friend who decided to have some fun with the cops. There isn't even any evidence to take in," he laughed again, "a total waste of time." He grinned at her and she couldn't help but smile back. She straightened up in her seat and turned to really look at him.

"Well if you're sure. I do, unfortunately," she dropped her eyes to her lap, "need help." He laughed out loud.

"That was hard for you, huh?" He moved his arm to pull her into an awkward sideways hug. "Stay here, I'll pull my truck around." He released her and reached out for the door handle.

He turned back and smiled a picture perfect smile at her before taking her hand. He gave it a quick squeeze and slipped out of the vehicle. Catherine watched him walk away, disappearing back into the darkness.

"Mommy, can we go home soon? I'm tired," Lindsey's protest came from the backseat. Catherine forced herself to look away from the spot Nick had last been. She eyed Lindsey in the mirror.

"Yeah, honey we're going home real soon."

**A/N: I am so sorry to those out there that were reading this story. I hope you've all come back to review! I will take any heat for the long wait, very, very sorry. I hate it as much as the next guy when people never update! GAH! So for anybody that came back, thanks for bearing with me, it's been a busy year.**

**Special super duper thanks to my beta reader, mugglecastlover31, love ya!**


	5. Chapter 5

As it turned out, Catherine wasn't as far off course as she thought she was. Whether that was more or less maddening, she hadn't decided yet.

Home was finally in view. Nick was pulling his truck in along the curb outside of the small one story house. Catherine passed him, swung her own truck into the driveway and shut off the ignition. She quietly unbuckled her seatbelt and slid out the door. Lindsey had fallen asleep in the backseat almost half an hour ago and Catherine didn't want to disturb her just yet.

Nick slammed his door just as Catherine reached the end of the driveway. She winced.

"Shhh, Lindsey's asleep," she motioned to the car, "I don't want to wake her."

"Oh," Nick glanced guiltily at his own door and grinned sheepishly, "sorry about that." He continued his path towards her. His eyes traveled up and down, taking her in. He gave another low whistle. "You sure know how to do that whole 'all dressed up and nowhere to go' thing." She let out a wry laugh.

"If that was a compliment," she shook her head at him with a smile, "then thank you." He winked at her.

"My pleasure." She laughed again. The sound was somewhat unfamiliar to her. She definitely needed to get out more.

He moved closer and suddenly they were less than five feet apart. It was balmy out, but Catherine suddenly shivered. Nick didn't miss it.

"You cold?" Always the gentleman, he moved to shrug off his jacket, but she stopped him.

"No, I'm…just perfect" _with you here. _Their eyes met and she hoped to convey the double meaning to her words. He seemed to understand as he once again shuffled closer to her.

"We should do this again sometime," he whispered, so close to her now that she could feel his warm breath. She smiled.

"What? You mean me getting lost and you coming to the rescue? Thanks, but I think once was enough," _at least on the lost part, you can rescue me anytime, cowboy._ She held back what she really wanted to say. He laughed and moved back a step to look up at the sky.

"No, I meant…" he trailed off, "well, I guess… I'm not sure what I meant." He kept his eyes on the sky and let out a deep breath. Catherine folded her arms across her stomach and watched him, waiting for him to continue. Finally he looked at her again. "I really like you Cath." Her heart soared. "I…I just…I never really…" he trailed off again, lost in his thoughts, and stared at his shoes. She decided to help him out.

"I really like you too, Nicky." His head shot up. "I didn't really know what to do with the feelings so I guess…I guess I just hid them. I was afraid you wouldn't feel the same." Now she was the one searching the stars for guidance. Where did they go from here? What did this mean? They couldn't really date, it was against lab policy. It was obvious the same thoughts were running through both of their heads. What would happen if they broke up? What if someone from the lab found out? There were too many variables. It was clear that nothing could ever really come of this relationship. Nothing other than friendship anyway. It appeared they had come to the same conclusion. Eyes locked on each other, the mirror of their own sad smile materialized on the other's face.

"It's just not a possibility," Nick voiced what they were both thinking, nodding his head sadly.

"We'd be suspended, maybe fired, if anyone ever found out. It's just…"

"Not a good idea," he finished with his eyes on his shoes again.

"Yeah." This was not the point she had hoped they would be coming to. Nick either, from the downtrodden look on his face. They were both far too rational, however, to believe that any other option was a possibility. But she wasn't in the mood for an unhappy ending. She took a step towards him. "That doesn't mean that we can't, you know, hang out once in awhile," she reasoned. "As friends, of course," she winked at him this time. He met her eyes and understood her meaning.

"Right. As friends," he returned her grin and stepped closer again, "and colleagues for that matter." He wrapped his muscular arms around her back as she lifted hers to wrap around his neck. "Strictly business," he joked.

"Of course, business." They were so close now that they were breathing each other's air. After several agonizing moments, Nick leaned down and gently kissed her. She returned the kiss just as gently, neither one of them wanted to ruin the perfect moment.

"Mommy?" They sprang apart like a couple of teenagers caught making out in a parking lot. Truthfully, they weren't far off on the parking lot thing.

A bleary eyed Lindsey was standing in her ruffled peach dress at the back of Catherine's truck, staring at the two of them, with her hands on her hips.

"What's going on Mommy?" Catherine looked back and forth between Nick and Lindsey, unsure how to proceed.

"Are you and Uncle Nicky going out now or something?" Catherine looked appalled for a moment that her daughter would actually know what "going out" was as an eight-year-old. But, then again, they did live in Vegas.

She turned to look at Nick, who was grinning from ear to ear and she suddenly burst out laughing. Lindsey looked even more confused now. Finally Catherine managed to recover.

"Linds, why don't you go inside? You know where the key is, I'll be in to tuck you in in just a minute, okay sweetie?" Lindsey eyed both of them suspiciously before turning and slowly padding towards the house. They both watched her go before turning to face each other.

"Well…that was…"

"Somethin'," Nick finished. They both laughed.

"I guess I should get going," Nick said, checking his watch.

"Yeah, sure, I have to be in early tomorrow anyway," Catherine said as he slowly backed towards his truck. "But listen…" He stopped. "Don't be a stranger, okay?"

He smiled his classic, genuine Nick Stokes smile and said, "Wouldn't dream of it." She turned to go inside and as he reached the door of his truck he called, "Goodnight Cath," _I love you. _She waved over her shoulder as the front door opened to reveal a pajama clad Lindsey. Nick chuckled to himself as he slid into the diver's seat. He leaned his head against the headrest and took a deep breath. He could still smell her scent. Soap and a light perfume. The best smell in the universe, he had decided. He started the engine, and as he pulled away from the curb, gave the dark house one last glance. What a night he had had. A wonderful, amazing night.

The End.

**A/N: Please review, any comments are welcome, I don't bite, I swear. ;) Thanks to anyone and everyone who read and reviewed. Again, a special thanks to my beta mugglecastlover31. Love, love, love, Hayley**


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